Wiring a freshly built pc - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

propaganda · 08-01-2003, 10:47 PM

The only reason I have yet to build a computer is because of the wiring. I know it sounds stupid to ask but do all the parts that have wires attached ie power supply tell you where on the motherboard they are connected too?

billege · 08-01-2003, 11:34 PM

Pretty much, yes.

If you buy a motherboard, it will have (it'd better have) a schematic of what pins on the board do what. Then you know what to plug where. Often, the board has written ON it, what is what.

You are going to need to know where, and how, the IDE cables plug in. There's a little bit to that, to ensure best possible performance; but, it's not too bad.

I suppose if you know nothing about computers, this is not a very good idea.

If you have some idea what's going on, and you can read directions, you might pull it off. Despite what many people believe, it's not rocket sceince.

When building your own box, yhere are lots of places you can make mistakes, lots of them. Mistakes can be very expensive.

I suppose the short answer to your question is: "No." The parts may be marked, but you have to know what you're looking at first.
If you don't know the answer to the question you asked, I'd have to say it might not be the best idea for you to build a box yet. Do some reading first.

tomshardware.com is a very good resource for "how to" type stuff.

Go and learn, it's easy after that.

propaganda · 08-01-2003, 11:40 PM

Ill try to sit in front of an open box too. It's help somewhat so far.

juanvaldes · 08-02-2003, 12:19 AM

if you can read and follow simple instructions you should be set.

Halx · 08-02-2003, 12:50 AM

Take apart your current computer and pay attention to what cables go where. Then put it back together again.

Also, remember the red cable (pin #1) on the IDE controller always faces you when you plug it into hard drives and CD-ROMs and stuff, but it faces away from you on the floppy drive cable.

Put your hard drive on your primary IDE and your CD-ROM on your secondary IDE, even though both IDE controllers have room for a master device and a slave device, do not share their cable if you can help it.

If you're confident, try getting some rounded IDE cables, they will increase airflow throughout your case. Speaking of rounded cables, Serial ATA drives are out now, while decidedly more expensive, they are a bit faster and their cables are very thin and round. If you get a motherboard that supports it and you have the cash, consider that they are the wave of the future.

If you have no friggin clue what the hell I'm saying.. perhaps you should wait on building that computer of yours.

propaganda · 08-02-2003, 08:47 AM

Thank Halx. I got what your saying besides the part about the Serial ATA hard drives since I'm just learning hard drives now.

mustang91 · 08-02-2003, 09:48 AM

I just built a box two days ago, first install I've ever done.

If you're just handling wiring, and everything else is perfect (a big if), plus you have the motherboard manual telling you what the different wiring connectors are it's a breeze.

If you don't have the manual the only things I could have connected were the hard drives/CD drives and power cables. For the tiny wires (power buttons, LEDs, USB) I would have been screwed.

Good luck!

fonrus · 08-02-2003, 05:46 PM

I've built my last 3 boxes, and I was as nervous as you sound the first time, but everything comes with (more or less clear) instructions.

If you can hook up a home theater system, you shouldn't have a problem putting a pc together.

Wyodiver33 · 08-02-2003, 05:48 PM

I have built several systems now. Just take your time, do it right the first time. What I do is only install the CPU with HSF, Video card and one hard drive at first, install XP, get everything running correctly, then worry about any other components. And then it's one at a time. Another tip: If you go with an AMD retail chip, make sure you pull the plastic tape off of the thermal pad on the heat sink. If you don't you will most likely kill the chip. I remove the pads and apply Arctic Silver. I have had Intel chips, AMD chips, ABIT and ASUS motherboards, nVidia and ATI video cards, Maxtor and Western Digital hard drives. I have had very few problems, because I buy good components, not always top of the line, but good quality. Good luck, and enjoy!

propaganda · 08-02-2003, 06:42 PM

Thanks guys

obediah · 08-03-2003, 12:44 PM

You shouldn't have much problem with this. I am horribly mechanically declined, but have put together all of my machines without incident. I know it is intimidating, but it's not difficult.

08-04-2003, 08:56 PM

Just make sure you ground yourself by touching the computer case before you begin.

Static will destroy computer components in a hurry.

rocinante2003 · 08-05-2003, 08:44 AM

Great post...

Assuming your not building any complex setup with raid arrays etc, these notes may be useful.

It sure does look complicated, but its actually relatively easy. I suggest reading the motherboard manual first and find out the following.

IDE Interface connection.. Where they are and which one is Primary and secondary. The hard drive connects to the Master and the CD rom to the secondary. You will use 2 seperate cables, and you need to check your Hard drive/CD rom are both set to Master Device. You will find a little plastic block (jumper) near the 40 pin connecter that will usually be set to master. If not, pull it off and position it accordingly.

Floppy Drive Interface. No master or slave factors here.

FSB (Front Side Bus) jumper on motherboard... Without knowing what motherboard you purchased, most are jumperless with only a few options. Make sure you set your FSB jumper if your motherboard has one.

Install your motherboard into your case. Make sure you get the correct case/PS for your motherboard (ATX usually). Be careful to instal the correct motherboard supports in your case, or buy a case that has pre molded motherboard supports. This will take a few minutes or patience depending on the case you purchase.

I usually instal the CPU/memory before placing the motherboard into the case. I install the CPU fan also, because the presure needed to clip the heatsink on is very high, and i like to keep the motherboard on the anti static foam pad that protects it during shipment to even the presure across the board. This is also a good time to make any Jumper adjustments on the motherboard.

Once the motherboard is connected to the case, plug the ATX power connector to the white socket on the motherboard. Make sure you dont have any power going to the Power supply/case.

I usually conect the STUPID!!!! case light connectors at this time. This part is a pain in the butt, I wish someone would just standardise this to become a plug. (rant over) You will need to have the motherboard manual open on the diagram that has the pin outputs for the case connection. The case will have markings on the plugs for these cables, such as SPKR, or P-LED. If when your ready to power your PC up, and you dont get a light illuminate as expected, check you have it in the correct way + -

Instal your hard drive, floppy and CDrom drive to the case, and Instal the IDE (flat) cables into the motherboard, then connect them to your drives. As mentioned, the Red (not always, sometimes black etc) is Pin 1, and must align to pin one on the device.

You will need to connect a white power (molex) connector to your hard drive and CD rom, and then a smaller white power connector to the Floppy.

*****VERY IMPORTANT****
Connect the CPU Heatsink Fan to the motherboard's CPU-Fan power output. Check the location in the manual.

Instal your case fans, and if you have the option, connect them to the motherboards case fan power outlets, do so.

Remember to check the fans blowing direction. I usually pull air in from the front, and blow out the back.

Instal your VGA card only at this time to make sure your system will power on. If sucessfull, instal your Modem, network cards, or what ever your system requires.

Check List..

Motherboard has Power from Power Supply.
Motherboard has Memory, CPU and heatsink.
Heatsink is connected to a power source on motherboard
Hard Drive, CD rom and Floppy have an IDE cable and Power
Case is connected to motherboard via cables (reset, Power etc)
Motherboard Jumpers (FSB etc) are correct
Fans powered and pointing the correct way
Power supply has correct voltage (110 USA) - caught me out many times.

Power on and stand back. You should access your system Bios and make sure you can see your Hard Drives, and CD rom.
Make changes such as first boot device etc. I usually watch the status page with the fan speeds, temps and voltages for a minute or two.

IF you dont see the CPU fan spinning, pull the plug.

I hope this helps a little

08-01-2003, 10:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
propaganda Psycho	Wiring a freshly built pc The only reason I have yet to build a computer is because of the wiring. I know it sounds stupid to ask but do all the parts that have wires attached ie power supply tell you where on the motherboard they are connected too?

08-01-2003, 11:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
billege Watcher Location: Ohio	Pretty much, yes. If you buy a motherboard, it will have (it'd better have) a schematic of what pins on the board do what. Then you know what to plug where. Often, the board has written ON it, what is what. You are going to need to know where, and how, the IDE cables plug in. There's a little bit to that, to ensure best possible performance; but, it's not too bad. I suppose if you know nothing about computers, this is not a very good idea. If you have some idea what's going on, and you can read directions, you might pull it off. Despite what many people believe, it's not rocket sceince. When building your own box, yhere are lots of places you can make mistakes, lots of them. Mistakes can be very expensive. I suppose the short answer to your question is: "No." The parts may be marked, but you have to know what you're looking at first. If you don't know the answer to the question you asked, I'd have to say it might not be the best idea for you to build a box yet. Do some reading first. tomshardware.com is a very good resource for "how to" type stuff. Go and learn, it's easy after that. __________________ I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence: "My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."

08-02-2003, 12:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	Take apart your current computer and pay attention to what cables go where. Then put it back together again. Also, remember the red cable (pin #1) on the IDE controller always faces you when you plug it into hard drives and CD-ROMs and stuff, but it faces away from you on the floppy drive cable. Put your hard drive on your primary IDE and your CD-ROM on your secondary IDE, even though both IDE controllers have room for a master device and a slave device, do not share their cable if you can help it. If you're confident, try getting some rounded IDE cables, they will increase airflow throughout your case. Speaking of rounded cables, Serial ATA drives are out now, while decidedly more expensive, they are a bit faster and their cables are very thin and round. If you get a motherboard that supports it and you have the cash, consider that they are the wave of the future. If you have no friggin clue what the hell I'm saying.. perhaps you should wait on building that computer of yours. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

08-02-2003, 09:48 AM	#7 (permalink)
mustang91 Upright Location: Cleveland, OH/Athens, OH	I just built a box two days ago, first install I've ever done. If you're just handling wiring, and everything else is perfect (a big if), plus you have the motherboard manual telling you what the different wiring connectors are it's a breeze. If you don't have the manual the only things I could have connected were the hard drives/CD drives and power cables. For the tiny wires (power buttons, LEDs, USB) I would have been screwed. Good luck! __________________ "I'm desperately not trying to feel the early, preconceived notion of love that only exists in top 40's pop songs." "He who wants money, means and content are without three good friends." - Shakespeare "...like Vietnam, or those bands that never got over the fact they opened for Nirvana, I never got over her." -Nick Hornsby

08-02-2003, 05:48 PM	#9 (permalink)
Wyodiver33 Just here for the beer. Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Floriduh	I have built several systems now. Just take your time, do it right the first time. What I do is only install the CPU with HSF, Video card and one hard drive at first, install XP, get everything running correctly, then worry about any other components. And then it's one at a time. Another tip: If you go with an AMD retail chip, make sure you pull the plastic tape off of the thermal pad on the heat sink. If you don't you will most likely kill the chip. I remove the pads and apply Arctic Silver. I have had Intel chips, AMD chips, ABIT and ASUS motherboards, nVidia and ATI video cards, Maxtor and Western Digital hard drives. I have had very few problems, because I buy good components, not always top of the line, but good quality. Good luck, and enjoy! __________________ I like stuff.

08-01-2003, 11:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
propaganda Psycho	Ill try to sit in front of an open box too. It's help somewhat so far.

08-02-2003, 12:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
juanvaldes Banned Location: shittown, CA	if you can read and follow simple instructions you should be set.

08-02-2003, 08:47 AM	#6 (permalink)
propaganda Psycho	Thank Halx. I got what your saying besides the part about the Serial ATA hard drives since I'm just learning hard drives now.

08-02-2003, 05:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
fonrus Upright	I've built my last 3 boxes, and I was as nervous as you sound the first time, but everything comes with (more or less clear) instructions. If you can hook up a home theater system, you shouldn't have a problem putting a pc together.

08-02-2003, 06:42 PM	#10 (permalink)
propaganda Psycho	Thanks guys

08-03-2003, 12:44 PM	#11 (permalink)
obediah Crazy	You shouldn't have much problem with this. I am horribly mechanically declined, but have put together all of my machines without incident. I know it is intimidating, but it's not difficult.

08-04-2003, 08:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
Achernar Guest	Just make sure you ground yourself by touching the computer case before you begin. Static will destroy computer components in a hurry.

08-05-2003, 08:44 AM	#13 (permalink)
rocinante2003 Insane Location: Dallas	Great post... Assuming your not building any complex setup with raid arrays etc, these notes may be useful. It sure does look complicated, but its actually relatively easy. I suggest reading the motherboard manual first and find out the following. IDE Interface connection.. Where they are and which one is Primary and secondary. The hard drive connects to the Master and the CD rom to the secondary. You will use 2 seperate cables, and you need to check your Hard drive/CD rom are both set to Master Device. You will find a little plastic block (jumper) near the 40 pin connecter that will usually be set to master. If not, pull it off and position it accordingly. Floppy Drive Interface. No master or slave factors here. FSB (Front Side Bus) jumper on motherboard... Without knowing what motherboard you purchased, most are jumperless with only a few options. Make sure you set your FSB jumper if your motherboard has one. Install your motherboard into your case. Make sure you get the correct case/PS for your motherboard (ATX usually). Be careful to instal the correct motherboard supports in your case, or buy a case that has pre molded motherboard supports. This will take a few minutes or patience depending on the case you purchase. I usually instal the CPU/memory before placing the motherboard into the case. I install the CPU fan also, because the presure needed to clip the heatsink on is very high, and i like to keep the motherboard on the anti static foam pad that protects it during shipment to even the presure across the board. This is also a good time to make any Jumper adjustments on the motherboard. Once the motherboard is connected to the case, plug the ATX power connector to the white socket on the motherboard. Make sure you dont have any power going to the Power supply/case. I usually conect the STUPID!!!! case light connectors at this time. This part is a pain in the butt, I wish someone would just standardise this to become a plug. (rant over) You will need to have the motherboard manual open on the diagram that has the pin outputs for the case connection. The case will have markings on the plugs for these cables, such as SPKR, or P-LED. If when your ready to power your PC up, and you dont get a light illuminate as expected, check you have it in the correct way + - Instal your hard drive, floppy and CDrom drive to the case, and Instal the IDE (flat) cables into the motherboard, then connect them to your drives. As mentioned, the Red (not always, sometimes black etc) is Pin 1, and must align to pin one on the device. You will need to connect a white power (molex) connector to your hard drive and CD rom, and then a smaller white power connector to the Floppy. ***VERY IMPORTANT** Connect the CPU Heatsink Fan to the motherboard's CPU-Fan power output. Check the location in the manual. Instal your case fans, and if you have the option, connect them to the motherboards case fan power outlets, do so. Remember to check the fans blowing direction. I usually pull air in from the front, and blow out the back. Instal your VGA card only at this time to make sure your system will power on. If sucessfull, instal your Modem, network cards, or what ever your system requires. Check List.. Motherboard has Power from Power Supply. Motherboard has Memory, CPU and heatsink. Heatsink is connected to a power source on motherboard Hard Drive, CD rom and Floppy have an IDE cable and Power Case is connected to motherboard via cables (reset, Power etc) Motherboard Jumpers (FSB etc) are correct Fans powered and pointing the correct way Power supply has correct voltage (110 USA) - caught me out many times. Power on and stand back. You should access your system Bios and make sure you can see your Hard Drives, and CD rom. Make changes such as first boot device etc. I usually watch the status page with the fan speeds, temps and voltages for a minute or two. IF you dont see the CPU fan spinning, pull the plug. I hope this helps a little Last edited by rocinante2003; 08-05-2003 at 08:47 AM..